Quality formative assessments play a key role in the learning process.  Without pausing along the way to check a student’s progress, teachers would be forced to wait until the end of the unit to discover holes in the student’s knowledge. Using formative assessments, a teacher can shape their instruction or even shape the student’s experiences at a moments notice.  The key to a good formative assessment is the accuracy and speed in which feedback is given and how usable that information is.  Below are some hand-picked techniques for instituting quality formative assessments.

Yes & No Chart: This handy technique is perfect for students who are self-aware enough to gauge their own understanding.  Students create a T-chart, where on one side they list the items about the topic they already understand and on the other they list the items about the topic they don’t yet understand.  Scaffolding could include providing the students with a pre-determined list of topics.  This method would be great to use at the beginning of a lesson to divide students into groups.

Poll Everywhere: Poll Everywhere is a digital tool that can bring formative assessments into the 21^st Century. Use it to create a quick little quiz that students can answer no matter what device they’re using.  It’s perfect for 1-to-1 or BYOD environments.

Entrance Cards/Exit Slips: These low-tech assessments have been a staple of classrooms for years and provide a simple spot-check of knowledge.  By asking a single question that can easily and quickly be evaluated, teachers can check for understanding of key concepts that were introduced in the lesson or in the homework of the previous night.

S-O-S Summaries:  Another quick assessment is an S-O-S Summary.  S-O-S stands for: statement, opinion, support.  In this assessment, especially key in states implementing Common Core, the teacher provides a statement to the students.  The students then give their opinion on the statement and provide evidence, or support, for their opinion.  Not only does this check for understanding, it also helps students practice providing support in their verbal and written arguments.

Thumbs-Up/Thumbs-down: Using gestures or hand signals is a great to get low-impact and immediate feedback for students.  In this method, the teacher pauses in the middle of a lesson and asks students to either show a thumbs-up for understanding or a thumbs-down for not understanding.  The teacher can then tell right away with very little work whether they need to spend more time on the topic or whether the class is ready to move on.

What methods of formative assessment do you use in your classroom?
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